Man charged with murder

FLORENCE - As the body of a former Waterloo High School homecoming queen was being returned home Wednesday morning, Knoxville, Tenn., police filed murder charges against the man they say killed her.

Valentino Vasquez Miranda, 19, was served with the arrest warrant in the Knoxville jail where he has been held since shortly after Jennifer Lee Hampton was reported missing Sept. 20.

Miranda, who lived and worked at Days Inn in west Knoxville where Hampton was staying, is charged with first-degree murder. A person convicted of first-degree murder in Tennessee faces a possible sentence of death.

Miranda is accused of strangling Hampton, 21, and dumping her body in a nearby lake. Her body was found Saturday by a man fishing in Melton Hill Lake, less than 10 miles from the motel where Hampton and three coworkers were staying.

Hampton and her coworkers were in Knoxville to help train employees preparing to open a Mama Blues restaurant. She worked at the Florence Mama Blues location.

Police have not concluded their investigation and are not ruling out that at least one other person will be charged in connection with the slaying.

Miranda has been a suspect since police initiated the investigation the morning of Sept. 20. He and another motel worker were arrested that morning on forgery charges after providing police with bogus Social Security cards.

Police said Miranda and the other man are illegal immigrants. The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has required that both men remain in jail while the investigation is conducted.

A bond of $1 million was issued after Miranda's arrest Wednesday morning. He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 10 for a preliminary hearing.

Knoxville attorney Eddie Daniel, who has been representing Hampton's family during the investigation, said family members are still grieving the loss. He said they were pleased to hear of the arrest.

"The family is relieved that he, nor anyone else involved in this, cannot do it to someone else," Daniel said Wednesday afternoon while driving to Florence to be with the family during tonight's memorial service and the burial Friday.

"It's a long trip from Knoxville to Florence with nothing to do but think. It's extremely tough on them to know they've got to go back and do what has to be done."

Daniel said the family plans to be at all meaningful court proceedings as the case proceeds through the judicial system.

"They will do everything they can to make sure justice is done," Daniel said.

Hampton's grandfather, Spurgeon Hampton, said his granddaughter had wanted to become a nurse.

"She wanted to be a success and was going in that direction," he said. "I was just proud of her.

"This has been a real ordeal. I'm heartbroken about it."

Spurgeon Hampton said news of Miranda's arrest at least provides some relief for a family that has been through a tremendous ordeal. "I hope they don't deport him," he said. "I hope they keep him and try him."

Miranda's wife provided police with key evidence that linked him to Hampton's death, based on an affidavit filed by investigator William Still.

Miranda's wife, Rosa Rodriquez Hernandez, who also is an employee at Days Inn, turned over bloody clothing to police that belonged to her husband, according to the affidavit. She told police that her husband was wearing the bloody clothes during the early morning hours of Sept. 20.

Police say forensic tests revealed that it was Hampton's blood on the clothing.

Still lists another key piece of evidence as being Miranda's motel key card, which gave him access to all rooms. He states in the affidavit that a check of the key card revealed it was used "in the early morning hours of Sept. 20 to unlock the victim's room."

Based on the affidavit, Hampton's room was "found to be in disarray and evidence in the room indicated foul play."

Police declined to elaborate more on that statement.

Daniel said he's been told that additional forensic tests are being done to determine other details of the case and if anyone else was involved in the death or in disposing of the body.

A preliminary autopsy determined that Hampton was strangled to death. It was unclear Wednesday whether she was killed before or after she was taken from the motel room.

Knoxville police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said they are not releasing details of the investigation while investigators continue their work.

Hampton's body was returned to the Shoals on Wednesday morning, with the hearse being escorted much of the way by Lauderdale County sheriff's deputies and other police and emergency agencies.

The victim's family and their attorneys, Daniel and Matt Cook, were also provided an escort to Morrison Funeral Home in Central Heights, where tonight's memorial service will take place.

Daniel said many people in Knoxville have reached out to Hampton's family with financial and moral support. He said several churches have offered to house and feed the family when they return for court proceedings. A substantial amount of money has also been donated to the family to help offset funeral expenses and to pay bills that have continued to mount while the family has been in Knoxville and have been unable to work.

"The family wanted to stop and get a hamburger at Wendy's before we got on the road to Florence," Daniel said. "While we were inside, one lady in a nurse's outfit came up and hugged (Hampton's mother, Cynthia Senn) and told her she was sorry for what happened. Another gentleman came up to her and said, 'You need an extra napkin.' He had put some money in the napkin and let her know that this should not have happened.

"The outpouring of support has meant a lot to the family."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.